This was the last Sunday before our pastor, Marilyn, left for a 3 month sabbatical, and the Sunday after a week full of my own intercultural, Spirit filled experiences. So as a disclaimer, I was ripe for feeling all the feels.
We sang the song, "Let us build a house (All are welcome)" as our opening hymn.
For context, this song was written by Marty Haugen, who writes contemporary hymns for the Lutheran church. It was written in the 1990s, and it will be included in the 2020 Mennonite hymnal. (YAS. Who else is hype for the new hymnal?)
In the midst of the hate, turmoil, and divisiveness of things happening in our country, our community, and our own conference, this song was the a gushing fountain of hope for the future. It painted a picture of the Church that I could truly imagine in my minds eye.
The lyrics of the first four verses go...
Let us build a house where love can dwell
and all can safely live,
a place where saints and children tell
how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions,
rock of faith and vault of grace;
here the love of Christ shall end divisions.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek
to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where love is found
in water, wine and wheat:
a banquet hall on holy ground
where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus,
is revealed in time and space;
as we share in Christ the feast that frees us.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where hands will reach
beyond the wood and stone
to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,
and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger
bear the image of God’s face;
let us bring an end to fear and danger.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
---
Creating safe spaces, learning to forgive, ending divisions... Prophets are speaking, children are seeking, we're all eating together and peace and justice meet. OUR HANDS REACH BEYOND THE PHYSICAL BUILDING TO SERVE OUR NEIGHBORS AND FEAR IS ABOLISHED.
Honestly, how do you top such an epic picture of God's Kingdom?
And then the last verse goes like this this:
Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter.
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
I'm done. I can't.
These are the deep longings of my soul transformed into elegant poetry and set to a simple tune.
I'm ready for this Church. I keep catching glimpses of this Church, in my friends, my neighborhood, my own life. But the thing about it is... I don't often catch these glimpses inside the church building.
I long for a Church where none are excluded, where each person is seen and treated as not only valuable but necessary for the work that Christ is completing through us. I long for a Church that listens to the grand visions and dreams of each believer, no matter what their background, and affirms them as valid; as words within the Word. What a phrase. All of this will happen through tears, cries, laughter, prayer and of course grace. And ya'll, WE'RE GONNA PROCLAIM IT FROM FLOOR TO RAFTER.
What I really wish for you to ponder and meditate on, are these lyrics. These reflections are simply my own.
How are we fulfilling some of these visions of Church already, and what areas do we need to take a look at and work on? What would our own Church look like if we embodied all of these attributes and worked towards these visions of the Kingdom?
Sometimes, I think we need a reminder of what Church truly is. It is not the church building (small 'c'). It is not the thing that happens on Sunday morning that we plan all week for. The Church is us. You and I are the Church, and the things we do are Church.
The picture you'll find attached to this post, is also from our Sunday service. During the children's time, the kids were taught about MCC school kits, and learned how to assemble one.
Then, this beautiful thing happened, a few adults came up and helped the kids assemble a kit. It took awhile. It made a mess at the front of the church. But, it taught the kids how to do and be Church. Passing down the anabaptist tradition of assembling school kits, happening right in front of our eyes.
It was a blessing to watch.
In closing, I'll leave you with a familiar passage from Acts 2:
"All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people."
---
Grace + Peace
